Prospector Dmitry Popov and ancient ore mines: to the problem of ancient ore mines in Northeast Salair foothills

The article is devoted to one of the aspects of the problem of polymetallic ore deposits exploitation in the North-Eastern Pre-Salair in ancient times. On studying archival materials and publications of the XVIII-XIXth centuries, the authors indicate the important role of ancient mine workings established after the discovery of polymetallic ores in Altai. Written sources suggest that the majority of the ore deposits within this territory were found due to the discovery of the “chudskie kopi” - ancient ore workings. Until recently the historiography had no information about ancient copper workings in the North-Eastern Pre-Salair. Nevertheless, high concentration of archaeological sites and a great number of polymetallic ores manifestations give a reason to believe that some of the now known deposits were mined in ancient times. The history of polymetallic ore mining activities in the North-Eastern Pre-Salair is associated with the name of the convict Dmitry Popov. The paper gives the data of archival documents confirming the fact that the ore-expert D. Popov had fixed traces of ancient ore mines in the foothills of the Salair Ridge in the XVIIIth century. In addition, the list of old mines compiled by D. Popov indicates copper deposits which could be easily discovered even by a non-expert. Ore manifestations found by D. Popov were divided on an area basis. The first group - Bachatskaya - is located near the Village of Salairskoye (8 mines). The second - Urskaya group - includes the mines on the banks of the River Ur (4 mines). The third group - Kosminskaya - is located near the Village of Arinichevo down the River Kasma (3 mines). The largest (fourth) group - Tarsminskaya - includes the mines down the River Tarsma and its tributaries surrounding Lake Tanai (15 mines). Only in the first and second groups there is clear evidence that the present mines were established on the sites of the “chudskie kopi”. However, not without reason the authors presuppose that the same principle could be adopted for the mine site development in the other area groups. Thus, the so-called “chudskie kopi”, the mapping of the abovementioned list of mines and a high concentration of archaeological sites dating back to the Paleometal and the Middle Ages allow us to conclude that the ancient population of the North-Eastern Pre-Salair used raw materials from local workings in copper metallurgy. Further research of ancient metallurgy in the North-Eastern Pre-Salair suggests archaeological investigations of the old mine workings found in the XVIIIth century. The resulting archaeological data will make it possible to determine the beginning of polymetallic ore deposit mining process in the North-Eastern Pre-Salair.

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